SoCal Student Section of the Week (02/16/19): Villa Park Blue Crew

The playoffs are at the halfway point. Remember, we still have the CIF SoCal Regionals and the CIF State Finals.

So, student sections know that their basketball teams have tough games ahead of them and many of them showed up with school spirit and loud chants and louder cheers.

Plus, with the SoCal Basketball Top 20 Student Section Rankings coming out in next week, this is also a last chance to make a strong impression.

Let’s meet our finalists and name our SoCal Student Section champion this week.

One of the best student sections in San Diego, the Torrey Pines Chaos of San Diego, prepared for the CIF-San Diego Section Open Division and most importantly for The Chaos, prepared for the Poway Titans, ranked No. 8 in San Diego.

The Chaos delivered as always and it’s a good thing they did with the Falcons only winning by four. Student Sections always give you that slight push.

The Chaos will kept cheering as the Falcons, ranked No. 10 in SoCal and No. 1 in San Diego, are playing for the CIF-San Diego Open Division title against Foothills Christian of El Cajon, ranked No. 18 in SoCal and No. 2 in San Diego.

The Chaos will also look to make a final push for the San Diego Basketball Student Section title with the Falcons title game on Saturday. We have a theme here.

It will be tough for anyone to top the Damien Pit of La Verne in the Inland Empire.

The Pit had two big challenges, including a second round matchup in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs against Los Altos of Hacienda Heights, ranked No. 19 in Los Angeles.

The Pit had a huge matchup with the Los Altos Splash Zone. It was a huge battle that went back and forth and The Pit had the last laugh in a hostile gym with a victory for Damien, ranked No. 11 in SoCal and No. 5 in Inland Empire.

The Pit had another big matchup in the quarterfinals against Santa Margarita of Rancho Santa Margarita, ranked No. 12 in SoCal and No. 2 in the OC.

Just imagine how crazy that game would have been if the Santa Margarita Eagles Nest showed up, but it was a road game for the Eagles. The Pit rocked the gym despite the tough loss for the Spartans.

It will be hard to try and top The Pit in the Inland Empire, but you never know.

The Chaminade Cage of West Hills have enjoyed a fantastic season from the Eagles and it has kept them motivated to go wild in the stands.

The Cage was needed when the Eagles hosted Notre Dame of Riverside, ranked No. 10 in the Inland Empire. The Cage must have been rattled because they rattled back at the Titans and it almost worked, but Chaminade would lose by one in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA playoffs.

Perhaps it will be enough to take the top spot in the Los Angeles Basketball Student Section title. I guess we shall see in a few weeks.

In the end, The Blue Crew knew what their Spartans were up against in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2AA against Mayfair of Lakewood, ranked No. 17 in SoCal and No. 7 in Los Angeles.

Challenge accepted for the Blue Crew as they rocked their gym and they need more space than usual and they already have plenty of seating in the student section.

The Blue Crew was louder than ever and the proof was in the pudding or in a video from BallerVision. It seemed like they couldn’t get the camera away from the Blue Crew.

Not only was BallerVision in the building, but apparently, so was ESPN!

Despite the tough loss, Villa Park, ranked No. 4 in Orange County, had another fantastic season and so has the Blue Crew. I would know, I saw them and for a second, I was in the stands, well, in front of it, but close.

With close to 1,300 votes, the Blue Crew came away with a big win to take the SoCal Student Section of the week title.

We spoke with the Blue Crew on what it took to win this weekly title for a second week in a row. Yeah, they also won this during football season with the name, the Black Pack.

You guys are the So Cal Student Section of the week, beating out the Chaminade Cage, Damien Pit and Torrey Pines Chaos. What did it take to stand out as one of the best in Southern California?

Blue Crew: A lot of work and planning behind the scenes and amazing attendance and participation from our student body were huge factors in our success this year.

What is your most memorable game you have ever attended as a member of the student section?

Blue Crew: The most memorable game we attended this year was the game against Canyon at Canyon. The student section was packed and full of energy, and it was just an all-around exciting game.

The Black Pack is considered one of the best Student Section in the state during football season. How does your student section adjust during basketball season?

Blue Crew: We try to keep the same energy and excitement from football season and have it carry over to basketball season as well. We strive for the same student attendance and participation in both the Black Pack and the Blue Crew.

Favorite theme?

Blue Crew: Our favorite theme is ALWAYS going to be BLUE Crew theme. We like to stay true to our colors and represent our school. We’re all about school spirit!

Favorite chant?

Blue Crew: Our favorite chant is “Weight Room”. It really hypes up the players and the crowd. We even made our own set of weights as a prop!

What’s your least favorite chant that you hear from the other side of the stadium/gym?

Blue Crew: One of our least favorite things people chant are insults towards our individual players. It’s sad when the other student section singles out individuals while they’re trying to play their best game.

Outside of you guys, is there one student section that you have seen or heard about where you think, “Man, that is a good student section?”

Blue Crew: We’ve heard a lot of great things about Cypress’ CypHype. Their team had a great run this year, and their student section was loud all season long. We were very impressed with their consistent school spirit.